Rail joint



P. C. JONES March 12, 1940.

RAIL JOINT Filed Sept. 10, 1936 INVENTOR PAUL C. JONES ATTORNEY Patented Mar. 12, 1940 RAIL JOINT Paul C. Jones, Niagara Falls, N. Y., assignor to. The Oxweld Railroad Service Company, a corporation of Delaware Application September 10, 1936, Serial No. 100,068

10 Claims.

This invention relates to a connection for the meeting ends of members having a web and a flange. to a rail joint, a connection for the meeting ends of railway rails.

Heretofore connections between the meeting ends of. railway rails or similar members have sometimes comprised connecting plates bolted or riveted to the web of the rail or similar member.

In the well known fish plate type of rail joint the fish plates or splice bars are bolted to the Webs of the meeting rails. The use of bolts or rivets necessitates the presence of holes in the web of the rails, and these holes not only tend to Weaken the web but also add to the cost of producing rails. alternate contractions and expansions due to temperature changes, and to a pounding and jarring from traific, both of which tend to cause a loosening of the bolts and a consequent impairment of the efficiency of the rail joint. When the joint has become loosened, the familiar changing of the relative height of the rail ends occurs as each wheel of rolling trafiic passes over the joint.

Rail joints have also been formed by the welding of fish plates or the like to the rails, and in some instances the rails themselves'have been welded end to end. A disadvantage encountered in the rail-welded type of joint lies in the high carbon content of the rail steel, which renders such steel difficult to weld. Another disadvantage of a rail-Welded joint lies in the effect of the welding temperature upon the structure of the rail. In Welding ends of rails or connecting plates to the upper flanges or heads of rails, portions of the head either at the end of the rail or along the edges of the head will be heated to a high temperature. Permanent thermal stresses may be set up and a local change in the metallurgical structure may occur. Such local portions may possess a considerably different hardness, toughness, and ductility than the balance of the head and an unevenness in wear may result. To, heat treat these local portions so as to remove any objectionable conditions is extremely ditficult and sometimes even almost impossible. Since no allowance for the aforementioned expansion and contraction is made in the rail-welded type of joint, still another disadvantage lies in its tendency to produce a lateral displacement of the rails, as longitudinal expansion is prevented.

The objects of this invention are to provide a rail joint in which there is no necessity for .holes in the web of the rail; to provide a rail joint in More specifically this invention relates When laid in track, rails are subject to which the rail itself :is not welded but is :held securely and firmly; to provide a rail. .joint in which the rails are held securelyand firmly but are allowed to expand and contract longitudinally without impairing theefficiently of the joint; and to provide a welded rail joint in which the necessary welds are positioned at a distance from the rail .sufficient to prevent overheating orobjectionable metallurgical changes in the rail. These and other objects and new and novel .features will become apparent from the following description and the accompanying drawing, in

which:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of one form of rail joint constructed in accordance with the princi ples of this invention;

Fig.2 is a horizontal longitudinal section of the rail joint, taken along the line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a vertical cross section of the rail joint, taken along the line 33 of Fig. 1;

Fig; 41s a side elevation of an alternative form of a rail joint constructed according to this invention;

Fig. 5 is .a vertical cross section ofthe rail joint taken along the line 5-5 of Fig. 4;

' Fig. 6 is a vertical cross section of a modifica tion of the construction shown in Figs. 1 to 3; and

Fig. '7 is a vertical cross section of a second modification of theconstruction shown in Figs 1 to 3. a

In the rail joint shown in Figs. 1 to 3, a pair of rails 10, each having a lower flange or base l I, a web l2, and an upper flange, or head 13, are

disposed above ties l4, l5 and It and substantially height of the rail ends as traffic passes over them, j

is a channel or sleeve I8, having shoulders 19 extending considerably above the base of the rails, but below the head of the rails, and having a thickness of base greater thanthe ordinary tieplate. The channel is preferably constructed so that the .base of the rails will fit snugly between the shoulders IS. The shoulders lfi are provided with a plurality of slots 20, extending from the base of the rails to the top of the shoulders, and other slots 2 I ,of smaller size, in each of which the head of a spike 2 2 is adapted to fit. The spikes 22 are driven into the ties 1'4 and 15 so as to attach the channel securely to the ties. On each side of the webs of the rails are plates 23, which are preferably shaped to fit the upper portion of the base and the underside of the head so as to support the head, as is more clearly shown in Fig. 3. The plates 23 are held tightly against the webs of the rails by a plurality of gussets or crossbraces 24, which fit into the slots 20 and are attached to the plates 23 and the shoulders 19, preferably by welds 25, which are located on the sides of the plates opposite the webs and are thereby so positioned that the heat of the welding operation will not produce local overheating or objectionable metallurgical changes in the rails the selves.

The plates and channel hold the ends of the rails securely and firmly in position but allow longitudinal expansion and contraction without impairing the efficiency of the joint. While the ties on either side of the meeting ends of the rails are attached to the channel, the'rails themselves may be attached to the second ties from the ends in the usual manner, such as resting upon tie plate 32 and being spiked to tie it.

The alternative construction shown in Figs. 4 and 5 includes a cross-brace which extends from one shoulder of the channel to the other and fits into slots in the shoulders at the meeting point of the rails. To accommodate this crossbrace a portion of the end of the web and base of each of the rails may be cut away as at El. This cross-brace extends laterally through the joint and thus necessitates the use of a separate plate portion 28 at each side of the joint. The cross-brace 26 is securely attached to the end of each of the plate portions, preferably by welds 29 on the side of the plates away from the rails. This cross-brace, as well as the crossbraces 24, fit into the slots 29 and are attached to the shoulders of the channel, preferably by welds 25 and 29, in a manner similar to that employed in the joint illustrated in Figs. 1 to 3. The cross-braces 24 are also securely attached to the plate portions 23, preferably by welds 25. This construction is also adapted to allow longitudinal expansion and contraction of the rails without impairing the eificiency of the joint.

In the modification shown in Fig. 6, crossbraces 39 extend to the web of the rail, and are preferably shaped to fit the contour of the web. the upper portion of the base and the underside of the head. The head is supported by the ends of the cross-braces and the plates 23 of Figs. 1 to 3 are omitted. The channel and guiding shoulders have slots into which the crossbraces fit and are similar to those of Figs. 1 to 3. The cross-braces 3B are welded to the shoulders but not to the rail. The channel and crossbraces will hold the rail securely and firmly but will allow longitudinal expansion and contraction and the welds are made at a sufiicient distance from the rails so that no objectionable metallurgical change may occur in the rails.

In the modification shown in Fig. '7, the crossbraces 24 and the slots 2G in the shoulders H) of the construction illustrated in Figs. 1 to 3 are omitted, and cross-braces 3i, adapted to fit between the plates 23 and the shoulders H), are substituted therefor. The cross-braces 3! may be attached to the plates and the shoulders in any suitable manner, such as by welds 25. These cross-braces 3i are adapted to be used as wedges to hold the plates firmly against the webs of the rails when welding the braces to the plates and the shoulders during the assembly of the joint in the construction of railway track. As in the construction illustrated in Figs. 1 to 3, the plates and channel will hold the ends of the rails securely and firmly in position but will allow longitudinal expansion and contraction without impairing the efficiency of the joint.

One method of assembly of the joint of Figs. 1 to 3 which has been practiced successfully consists of the following steps: The channel I8 is preferably of such dimension that a shrink fit of the shoulders i9 upon the base of the rails may be obtained, and the cross-braces 24 are preferably welded to the channel l8 at a shop or preassembly point, in such a manner that a shrink fit of the cross-braces 24 upon the plates 23 also may be obtained. Upon final assembly in track, the channel and cross-braces welded thereto may be heated to expand them, slipped into position at the joint, the plates 23 inserted, and after or during cooling of the channel and braces to produce a tight fit, the cross-braces may be welded to the plates. A similar method may be followed in the assembly of the modification of Fig. 6, or the alternative construction of Figs. 4 and 5. In assembly of the alternative construction of Fig. 7, the channel may be shrunk onto the rail ends and the cross-braces 31 used as wedges to produce a tight fit of the plates against the webs of the rails prior to welding of the braces to the plates and shoulders. Other methods of assembly will readily occur to those skilled in the art.

While this invention has been described as applied to a rail joint, it will be apparent that it may also be applied to a joint adapted to secure the meeting ends of any members having a web and flange, such as I-beams, girders built of channels, and similar structural members. Other changes may be made which will not depart from the spirit of the invention.

What is claimed is:

i. In a rail joint the combination comprising meeting rails having heads, webs, and bases, 21 channel beneath the ends of said rails and having shoulders extending a substantial distance above the base of said rails, said shoulders being provided with a plurality of slots, and means for supporting the heads of said rails including a plurality of members extending toward said rails and fitting into said slots and welded to said shoulders at points spaced from the heads and webs of said rails.

2. A connection for the meeting ends of rails comprising a plurality of plates adapted to be held against the webs of said rails, a channel beneath the ends of said rails having shoulders extending a substantial distance above the base of said rails, and a plurality of members welded to said plates and said shoulders at points spaced from said rails so as to hold said plates against said webs.

3. In a rail joint the combination comprising meeting rails, a channel underlying the ends of said rails and having a shoulder extending a substantial distance above the base of said rails, said shoulder being provided with a plurality of slots, a plate adapted to be held against the webs of said rails, and a plurality of members extending into said slots and welded to said plate and said shoulder so as to hold said plate against the webs of said rails.

4. In a rail joint the combination comprising meeting rails a channel underlying the ends of said rails and having a shoulder extending a substantial distance above the base of said rails, said shoulder being provided with a plurality of slots, a plate conforming in shape to the web and a portion of the base and the head of said rails, and a plurality of members fitting into said slots and welded to said plate and said shoulder so as to hold said plate against the webs of said rails.

5. In a rail joint the combination comprising meeting rails, a channel underlying the ends of said rail and having a shoulder extending a substantial distance above the base of said rails, a plate conforming in shape to the web and a portion of the base and the head of said rails, and a plurality of members welded to said shoulder and said plate at points spaced from said rails and adapted to wedge said plate against the webs of said rails during the welding of said members to said shoulder and said plate.

6. In a method of assembling a rail joint in which a channel having shoulders adapted to extend a substantial distance above the base of the rails and a plurality of members welded to said shoulders and adapted to extend toward the webs of the rails is used, the steps comprising welding said members to said shoulders, heating said channels and members so as to expand them, inserting the ends of said rails above the base of said channel and between said shoulders, inserting on either side of said rails a plate conforming in shape to the web and a portion of the base and the head of said rails between said members and said webs while said channel and said members are expanded, and subsequently permitting said channel and said members to cool so as to shrink said channel against the base of said rails and to shrink said members against said plates.

7. In a connection for the meeting ends of rails, a pair of rails having the base and the web cut away at their meeting ends so as to form a slot, a cross-brace extending through said slot, a plurality of plates adapted to be held against the webs of said rails adjacent said cross-brace and welded to said cross-brace on the side of said plates opposite said webs, and means in addition to said cross-brace for, holding said plates against the webs.

8. A method of assembling a rail joint in which a channel having shoulders adapted to extend a substantial distance above the base of the rails and a plurality of members welded to said shoulders and adapted to extend toward the webs of the rails is used, which comprises the steps of welding said members to said shoulders; heating said channel and members so as to expand them; inserting the ends of said rails above the base of said channel and between said shoulders; inserting on either side of said rails a plate conforming in shape to the web and a portion of the base and the head of said rails between said members and said webs while said channel and said members are expanded; subsequently permitting said channel and said members to cool so as to shrink said channel against the base of said rails and to shrink said members against said plates; and welding said members to said plates.

9. A method of constructing a rail joint which includes positioning plates against the webs of meeting rails on either side thereof; positioning a plurality of braces against said plates on either side of said rails and supporting said braces from either side of said rails; and welding said braces to said plates, said braces holding said plates against the Webs of said rails and being welded to said plates on the sides thereof opposite the webs of said rails.

10. A method of assembling a rail joint in which a channel having shoulders adapted to extend a substantial distance above the base of the rails is used, which comprises the steps of heating said channel to expand the same; inserting the ends of said rails above the base of said channel and between said shoulders; permitting said channel to cool so as to shrink the same against the base of said rails; inserting on n either side of said rails a plate conforming in shape to the web and a portion of the base and the head of said rails; driving a plurality of braces between said shoulders and said plates on either side of said rails, said braces being 

